Georges Selzer has been a member of the Cockeysville-Timonium Lions Club (and its many recreations) since 1952. At 98 years of age, he spends most of his time now at his residence in Edenwald Retirement Community, in Towson, MD.  but his early years were filled with adventure.  His remarkable story began in Switzerland, where he was born in 1911. He spoke six languages—German, French, Italian, Flemish, Spanish and Yiddish, and could read Hebrew.  The many languages saved his life on more than one occasion.
Trained as a jeweler’s apprentice in France, he joined the French Foreign Legion during World War II, and worked with the French resistance and in Paris encountered a German officer who was impressed with his honesty and bravery. This man later saved him from a firing squad, by claiming Georges was his interpreter. On a later adventure he was captured and worked as a secretary for the commandant in a concentration camp. He was ordered to type release papers for the firefighters, police, etc. in the camp. So he typed one for himself as well. “That’s how I escaped the first time” he says.

            Later he was recaptured and located at several different concentration camps; he received his tattoo in Auschwitz. He was at a labor camp that had a concrete factory where all the prisoners worked. He was scheduled to be hanged on January 21, 1945, however on January 18 the Germans were ordered to evacuate the camp as the Russians and Americans were coming from different directions, so he escaped fate once again. He was very thin and ill after being in camp, and recuperated in France.

            After the war, his uncle sent him $200 for transit to the USA but he gave the money to people who had previously loaned him money. A friend of his uncle later went to Europe, found him and personally gave him another $200, making certain he got a visa and went to the USA. Being Swiss, getting a visa to the US was much easier than from other countries. Eventually, he took the SS DeGrasse from Le Havre, France to Baltimore.

            He arrived in America in 1948 and worked as a jeweler for almost 40 years. Although he spoke no English, he got his first job because the owner spoke Yiddish. Again, his knowledge of languages saved his life.

He says there are four things he will always remember—“the day I came to America, the day I became a citizen, the day I married my wife, and the day I became a Lion”. He had first tried to become a member of the Knights of Columbus “but they wouldn’t have me when they found out I was Jewish”. Incidentally, three of the four memorable occasions all occurred in 1952.

Georges was an active Lion. He personally sponsored 35 Lions to the club. He says “I just asked them to come along. They saw what a wonderful club we had.”  He served in every club office except treasurer & secretary. He was King Lion twice. He was Vice District Governor. He traveled to many international conventions, and collected many Lions pins along the way.
He has donated his vest with 50 international pins on it to the Cockeysville Timonium Lions Club. He had previously been offered several hundred dollars for the vest, however Georges wanted his club to get the proceeds.

        The club has developed a raffle, “Georges’ Gems”, with self printed tickets which may be mailed along with a $5 donation per ticket to the Club treasurer. The winning ticket will be drawn by Georges at Edenwald on June 19.

 Also, an interview with Georges on DVD is available for $10. Income from the raffle and DVD will benefit the Cockeysville Timonium Lions Club Humanitarian Foundation.

Additional Article from Jewish Times

Download & self print the raffle ticket & mail in with the $$.

Or, go to:      www.ctlion.com     for more pictures and raffle tickets